Traffic control barrier



Feb. 6, 1962 D. R. Ma INTYRE ETAL 3,020,023

TRAFFIC CONTROL BARRIER 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed July 6, 1959 1962 D. R. M INTYRE ETAL 3,020,023

TRAFFIC CONTROL BARRIER Filed July 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS DQV/D P. MflC/A/TYPE F KEVNETH SCHULTZE BY M 7 H T7 ORA/E Y United States Patent 3,020,023 TRAFFIC CONTROL BARRIER David R. Maclntyre, 7 Forest Drive, and Frederick Kenneth Schultze, 180 Crescent Drive, both of Florham Park, NJ.

Filed July 6, 1959, Ser. No. 825,325 Claims. (Cl. 256-24) This invention relates in general to a barrier of the general nature of a rail or fence for controlling pedestrian, animal and vehicular trafiic, for example, at airports, fair grounds, theatre lobbies and on streets.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a lightweight portable knock-down barrier that can be easily and quickly set up and taken apart at the situs of use.

Another object is to provide such a barrier that shall comprise a novel and improved construction and combination of a plurality of base pieces and a plurality of rail or fence sections that can be easily and quickly set up or assembled with the rail sections in alignment or in any desired angular relation to each other to form the necessary barriers or aisles to control pedestrian, animal or vehicular traflic.

A further object of the invention is to provide a barrier of this type wherein the base pieces shall comprise plates having a plurality of elongated studs projecting upwardly,

therefrom, and the rails shall have portions for telescopic association with any of said studs so that a plurality of the rail sections and a plurality of the base pieces can be set up or assembled with the rail sections in any of a plurality of desirable relations to each other.

Other objects are to provide such a barrier wherein the base pieces shall be constructed in a novel and improved manner to resist tilting of the base pieces and the rail sections, for example, incident to lateral pressure applied to the rail section as by a person leaning against the rail; and to obtain other advantages and results which will be brought out by the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a composite perspective view of two base pieces and a rail section in unassembled relation; FIGURE 2 is a similar view showing two base pieces and a. plurality of rail sections assembled with the rail sections in various relations to each other;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view on a reduced scale I of another possible arrangement of a plurality of the base pieces and a plurality of the rail sections;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the base pieces and one end of a rail section in assembled relation with the base piece shown in vertical section, and illustrating a clamp for locking the rail section on the base piece;

FIGURE 5 is a greatly enlarged horizontal sectional view on the plane of the line 55 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a bottom plan view of one of the base pieces.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the barrier comprises a plurality of base pieces A and a plurality of rail or fence sections B.

Preferably, the base pieces are identical to each other and the rail sections B are identical to each other so that any one or more base pieces can be easily and quickly assembled or associated with any one or more of the rail sections.

As shown, each base piece comprises a plate, preferably formed of cast metal and of substantialthickness as shown in FIGURES 4 and 6, and being approximately T-shaped in plan so as to provide two arms 1 and 2 in substantial alignment with each other and a third arm 3 intermediate the arms 1 and 2 and projecting perpendicularly thereto in a common plane therewith. Preferably, one side of the plate has a perimetral downturned flange 4 that bounds a recess in the bottom of the plate and has notches 5 spaced apart approximately equi-distantly, thereby to provide a stable and non-slipping engagement of the base piece with slightly uneven ground or floors.

Projecting upwardly from the other or top side of each base piece is a plurality of elongated studs 6, at least two of which are in a common vertical plane parallel to the arms that are in alignment with each other and at least another of which is disposed in a vertical plane parallel with the other arm of the base piece. In the present instance there are three studs that are preferably equi-distantly spaced from each other with each at one apex of an imaginary triangle one of Whose sides is parallel with the two arms 1 and 2 that are in alignment with each other. The studs may be secured to the plate in any suitable manner, but are shown as welded to the plate.

Each rail section is shown as comprising two upright end pieces or stiles 7 connected by one or more horizontal portions or rails 8, the lower ends of the stiles 7 being tubular and of an internal diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the studs 6 so that the stile may telescopically slidably fit on any one of the studs. Preferably, an intermediate horizontal or tie portion 9 is provided between the stiles to reinforce the stiles. Conveniently, the stiles 7 and rails 8 may be formed of a single piece of pipe or tubing bent as indicated at 10, and such a construction also provides adequate strength with a minimum of weight.

I In use of the barrier, a plurality of the base pieces are set up at the zone in which it is desired to set up the barrier, and then the rail sections are connected to one or more of the studs of each base piece by sliding the stiles 7 onto the proper studs 6 with the rail sections in the desired relation to each other, either in alignment or in angular relation to each other as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3.

With this construction, it will be seen that the rail sections will hold the base pieces in properly spaced relation to each other and the base pieces will hold the rail sections in upright or vertical position. Also, the three-armed formation of the base pieces tends to resist tipping or tilting of the rail sections under lateral pressure thereon, as by a person leaning against a rail section, and also makes possible lightness in weight; and the reinforcing bar 9 will serve as a knee-bar tolimit the movement of the leg of a pedestrian beneath the rail and thereby prevent the pedestrian from obtaining adequate purchase of pressure against the rail to tilt the rail and base pieces. The notched flange 4, 5 on the base 6 provides a firm grip of the base piece on the ground or floor to resist lateral sliding of the base piece.

The rail sections may be formed of any desired height, but preferably, they will be about forty inches, and the reinforcing and knee bar 9 will be about twenty inches from the ground or floor.

It is desirable to releasably lock the rail sections to the base pieces to prevent unauthorized tampering with or movement of the rail sections, and for this purpose, each stile 7 may have a notch 11 therein extending throughout a small portion of the circumference thereof to expose a portion of the stud with which the stile is telescopically associated as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5; and a clamp is applied to the stile with a portion thereof frictionally gripping said stud. As shown, the clamp comprises two complemental sections 12 and 13 having their end portions 14 separably secured together by bolts 15, in encircling relation to the stile. The dimensions and proportions of the sections are such that when the sections are bolted together, one thereof, in the present instance the section 13, tightly frictionally engages the stud 6 and the clamp is held against longitu- 3 dinal movement on the stile by the notch 11 and the frictional grip of the clamp on the stile.

While the invention has been shown as embodying certain structural details, it will be understood that the construction of the base pieces and the rail sections may be modified and changed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A portable knock-down barrier comprising a plurality of of base pieces to set on a support surface, and a plurality of rail sections, each base piece having a plurality of elements and each rail section havinga plurality of parts each telescopically coactive with one of said elements of any one of said base pieces to separably connect said rail sections to said base pieces, each base piece comprising a T-shaped plate with two arms in substantial alignment with each other, at least two of said elements being disposed in a common vertical plane parallel with said two arms that are in alignment with each other.

2. A portable knock-down barrier comprising a plurality of base pieces to set on a support surface, and a plurality of rail sections, each base piece having a plurality of elements and each rail section having a plurality of parts each telescopically coactive with one of said elements of any one of said base pieces to separably connect said rail sections to said base pieces, each base piece comprising a T-shaped plate with two arms in substantial alignment with each other, said elements on the base piece comprising elongated studs rigidly secured to and projecting upwardly from the base, at least two of which are disposed in a common vertical plane parallel with said two arms that are in alignment with each other and at least one other element being disposed in a vertical plane parallel with the other arm of the base piece, said parts of each rail section including vertical stiles having openings in their lower ends each for telescopically slidable association with any of said studs.

3. A portable knock-down barrier as defined in claim 2 wherein there are three studs rigidly projecting from the top side of the base plate in spaced parallel relation to each other at the juncture of the arms of the T-shaped plate with each at one apex of an imaginary triangle one of Whose sides in parallel with the two arms that are in alignment with each other, each of said rail sections having at least two stiles each of Which comprises tubular material having an open end for separable telescopic association with any of said studs.

4. A portable knock-down barrier as defined in claim 1 wherein each base piece has a notched perimetral flange projecting from the bottom side of the base piece and beundinga recess in the bottom side of the base piece to engage said supporting surface and restrain movement of the base piece horizontally on said support surface.

5. A portable knock-down barrier comprising a plurality of base pieces set on a support surface, each having a plurality of upstanding studs thereon, and a plurality of rail sections each having at least two stiles each of which comprises tubular material having an open end for telescopically slidable association with any of said studs and also has a transverse opening, and a clamp encircling said stile with a portion frictionally engageable through said opening in the stile with the telescopically associated stud to. releasably lock together the rail section and the base piece,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

